SCORE (A Stepbrother Sports Romance)(68)

“Claire, don’t say that. I do miss being with you. I’m trying to figure it all out,” he said, attempting to stroke her face.

She dodged him and cleared her throat. “No, Chance. Let’s just make it a clean break. I don’t want to stifle you.”

“Claire, you’re not doing anything to me.”

“It’s for the best,” Claire said as left him standing alone.

Memories of St. Lucia and better days flashed through her mind, and she fought the tears that threatened. She maintained her composure long enough to make it past the lingering guest and make it inside the house. She climbed the stairs that wound to the first landing and ran into Penelope again as she left the guest bathroom.

The two women shot daggers at each other with their eyes, but no words were said as Claire brushed past the woman and hurried down the hallway to her room. She curled up on the bed and covered her face with the pillow, which served to muffle her screams as she released her frustration. She lay there motionless for a considerable time, staring at the ceiling, her mind blank. Maybe Penelope was right; she didn’t belong here, and she had overstayed her welcome. It was time she moved back to Miami.





CHAPTER 16


“Are you for real?” Amy squealed on the other end of the phone. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I think it’s about time I gave LA a break. There is too much going on here,” Claire sighed.

“What’s wrong? Is it Chance? I knew it would affect you being so close to him. Maybe it’s time you got that apartment you wanted.”

“Well, it’s a little bit more complicated than that. I didn’t tell you, but Chance and I didn’t quite end it in St. Lucia even after our parents got married.”

“I knew it!” she screeched, and Claire could almost see her smiling into the phone. “You whore!”

“I know, I know,” Claire responded. “But how could we just turn it off because they got married? We tried, and then we decided what the heck.”

“I understand,” Amy sympathized. “I’d do the same too.”

“Well, that was our plan, but Chance has decided it doesn’t make sense anymore. I see him with these girls all the time, and he says it’s nothing, but even before that, he had been distant. I finally got tired of the whole charade and we’ve decided to call it off.”

“I’m sorry, Claire,” Amy said. “I know none of this can be easy for you, but I don’t think running away is the solution.”

“I’m not running away,” Claire defended. “I just need a break. Plus, I thought you were a fan of running away. You got me to St. Lucia.”

“That was different,” Amy defended. “As bad as you may feel now, I am sure it’s nothing like what Trent did to you.”

“Still, I don’t want to be around him all the time. He doesn’t have to be here, yet he lingers and…” she paused when she saw Chance standing at the door. She whispered, “Amy, I’ll call you back; he’s here.”

“Go away with me,” he said to her as soon as she had hung up the phone.

“What?” she asked.

“The two of us - let’s just go away,” he said again.

“Are you serious?” Claire asked. “I thought we just agreed to call it off.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to lose you, Claire, but it’s hard being here and pretending to be siblings when I can’t touch you in public. I know the way I feel about you is wrong, but I can’t help what goes on in my head when I see you. Please, just say you will go.”

Claire stared at him in horror. He was saying all the things she wanted to hear, but she was afraid to believe it. With her luck, he would return from their trip and things would go back to normal. “I don’t know.”

“I DO know, Claire,” he said. “I do know we’re destined to be together.”

“And how do you know this?”

“The way I feel about you,” he told her and cupped her face in his hands. “I think I’ve fallen for you, Claire, and I don’t want to think about you with anyone else. And I don’t know how we are going to make this work, but I am willing to see what happens, where it goes.”

Claire remained silent for some time; Chance waited for her to respond. “Your proposition does sound exciting. I love travelling but…”

“Just say yes, Claire. Don’t overthink it.”

“I have work,” Claire said.

“I can take care of that, Claire. Just say yes.”

“But what do we tell our parents? If we both disappeared at the same time?”

“With the way I feel, I will tell them we went away together, but I know you’re not quite ready for that, so maybe you can tell your mom you’re going to hang out with Amy like you said.”

Claire grimaced. “You heard that, huh?”

He nodded and gripped her hands in his. “It doesn’t matter; I don’t blame you. I can be erratic sometimes, but with you, I’ve been stable. And you know what, I don’t want to hide anymore. We’re adults, and honestly, I don’t see why we can’t be together if that’s what we both really want.”